#1128 Early Majority vs Late Majority 

All righty, continuing on is me, Daganzam, the chosen Saint Researcher!!! 

Finally, today’s the day we get to witness the Saint with our own eyes. 
They say the Saint will appear right here in the plaza in front of the Demon King’s castle any moment now! 

If this is legit, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime miracle! I’m not about to let it slip through my fingers. 
If there’s even the tiniest chance we might miss this opportunity, we’d never live it down. 
Which is exactly why we made sure to claim the very front row, where no one can get in our way!!! 

Mwahaha! Spending last night here with my fellow devotees to reserve this prime spot was worth it! 
Moments like these are where being jobless really comes in handy! 

“Of course! We Saint Researchers have been studying the Saint for ages!” 
“If this is our shot to confirm the Saint’s existence firsthand, we’ll do whatever it takes!” 

Everyone’s super hyped.  
It might be ‘cause we’ve been up all night... 

Now morning’s come and gone, and the big event’s about to kick off. 
It’s getting noisy behind us; it looks like the crowds are finally pouring in. 

Heh, so they’re only just showing up now, so casual and laid-back. 
If they don’t share our fiery passion to see the Saint up close, they can stay back there and stare at the backs of our heads. 

“Hmhmhm… We are the true Saint Researchers…!” 
“That’s why we deserve our rightful place in the front, to behold the Saint…!” 
“Maybe we’ll even get a handshake… or an autograph…?!” 

Everyone’s practically trembling with excitement.  
Me too, honestly. 
Come on, Saint, hurry and show that holy figure of yours to us…! 

“Lady Ryugomytes, please take your seat here in the VIP section to greet the Saint.” 
“Much appreciated.” 

Huh?!  
Who the heck is that woman?! 
She shows up late, yet sits even closer than us who pulled an all-nighter to get the front row?! 

Not only that, she’s got a fancy chair and refreshments; that’s way better treatment than us! 
What is this nonsense?! 

“Hey, hold on! That’s totally unfair, waltzing in at the last minute like that!” 
“What of it?” 

She answers our complaint without even batting an eye. 
The nerve... So cool and composed, it’s almost infuriating. 

“I received a special invitation from the Demon King’s court to sit here. This entire ceremony is hosted by the Demon King, so of course they set aside a special space for special guests.” 

A special invitation?! 
Ugh, that’s so unfair! We camped out all night for these seats, and you just get the royal treatment? 

“Don’t line up overnight. It’s a nuisance.” 

The fancy-seat woman says this all calmly while lounging in comfort. 

“Midnight gatherings and loitering bring noise, disturb the neighbors, and can even lead to public safety issues. If people want to stake out a spot, they should at least wait until sunrise. After all, morning is the true start of a new day.” 

Grrr… Why, you...! 
The world doesn’t run on logic alone! 

 
And what’s with ‘morning is the true start of a new day’? Don’t force your so-called common sense on us! 
We jobless types can start our day whenever we please!!! 

I was about to shout all that back, but then she let out the biggest sigh, like we were hopeless… 

“For grown men to act like such fools… Must be the side effect of peacetime. After all the blood, sweat, and tears poured into winning the war, this is just depressing…” 

Who does she think she is?! 
Talk about condescending! 

We have a very serious reason for needing front row seats, you know! 
We’re Saint Researchers, after all!!!! 

“Saint Researchers?” 

Yes! We are noble warriors who delve into the mystery of the Saint! 
The Saint is the ultimate research subject, and since we knew we’d finally get to see him, we couldn’t settle for anything but the closest view! 

That’s why we camped out all night! 

We’ve compiled tons of data and theories on the Saint in our fifteen-volume masterpiece, Secrets of the Saint. That series is basically our holy scripture! 
We were so captivated by the unfathomable depths of the Saint, just like the book’s author, Ryugomytes, that we decided to follow in her footsteps and become Saint Researchers ourselves! 

Once I’ve said all this, the aloof woman heaves another massive sigh… 

“So that’s how my writing ended up interpreted by some readers… That’s disheartening. Maybe I should’ve thought harder about the impact my books might have.” 

Huh? What’s she talking about? 

“I’m saying, I’m the one who wrote that series.” 

...Wait, what? 

“My name is Ryugomytes. I used to serve in the Demon King’s Army, but after my discharge, I devoted my life to researching the Saint. Eventually I became the top expert in the field.” 

...... 
So... Does that mean... 

You’re the creator of our holy scriptures?! 
You’re basically a living legend—second only to the Saint! 

Lady Ryugomytes! We’re huge fans! Would you please sign our beloved books?! 

“…Look, you’re free to aim for sainthood yourselves, but don’t go making trouble for everyone around you. Some people are just here out of simple curiosity or admiration for the Saint. Let’s not ruin their day, okay…?” 

Ryugomytes’ little lecture continues, but then... 

Suddenly the crowd behind us starts getting rowdy. 
Could it be the Saint has appeared?! We’ve gotta see for ourselves! 
Wondering where he made his appearance, it turns out... 

It was the Demon King on the stage.  

Aw, come on, Demon King, don’t play with us like that! 
Enough buildup, bring out the Saint already! 

“Hey! Watch your mouth when you talk about the Demon Kingggg!!!” 

As Ryugomytes flails in a panic, something else starts happening. 

Huh? Why’s it getting brighter all of a sudden? 
Am I hallucinating from lack of sleep? 

I look up and... Whoaaaaaaaaaa! 

Something huge is falling from the sky! 

A massive object wrapped in white steam is plummeting toward the plaza...! 
Is that… a comet?! 

A comet’s crashing straight toward the grounddddd! 
...or so I thought, but it’s not. 

Right before hitting the crowd, the comet explodes into fragments, and from within emerges a single man on horseback. 

No way… is that…?! 

“The Saint I’ve spent my life chasing…?!” 

 Lady Ryugomytes beat me to it. 

That’s the Saint?! 
My first time seeing him, and he’s every bit as divine as I’d imagined. 

He’s dressed in gleaming white robes that practically scream “Heaven-sent.” 
His accessories sparkle like miniature suns. 
And that horse—just floating there in midair! How the heck does that even work?! 

“Snap out of it, Daganzam! The Saint we’ve been dreaming about all this time is right in front of us!” 
“Now’s the perfect chance to approach and hear him speak in person! I’ve prepared ‘Five Hundred Burning Questions for the Saint’ just for this day!” 

Five hundred is a bit much... 
But I see the point. We grabbed front-row seats to get as close as possible, yet the Saint’s up in the sky, so that plan has backfired! 

Guooooooh! 
Forget this! If I have to trample a few people to reach the Saint, so be it! 

Outta my way! The path to the Saint is mine and mine aloneeeee!!! 

“Calm yourselves, you fools!!!” 

Gwaaaah! 
What the heck, Lady Ryugomytes?! Why are you blasting us with magic?! 

“You’re making a scene! Why can’t you show some reverence in front of the Saint? Look at everyone else. Look how earnestly they’re praying...!” 

Ugh… 
Sure enough, most of the crowd is kneeling, hands clasped, quietly offering their prayers… 
Is that how one is supposed to act when face-to-face with a truly sacred being? 

“I myself need to reflect on my behavior as well. Right now, all we need to do is show the Saint our pure, devout hearts. No fancy knowledge required. Just accept what is before us, with sincerity.” 

Lady Ryugomytes’ words really strike a chord. 
Yeah… maybe we’ve been overthinking things. 
Compared to the Saint’s supernatural presence, us regular folks’ theories don’t mean much. 

All we really have to do is open our hearts and listen to what the Saint has to say… 

“…Now then, here I have a single arrow (snap). And here, three arrows (snap, snap, snap).” 

…Huh? 
Is that… Is he implying that breaking one arrow represents the Demon Kingdom? Like how easily he can shatter our country? 
And then snapping three arrows bundled together is some kind of metaphor for smashing all three major powers—Demon, Human, and Merfolk—at once?! 

Terrifying! How can he say something so ominous in public like this?! 

Could the Saint actually be a harbinger of destruction, destined to bring about the end of the world?!